


The Rules of Quidditch

by Yatorihell



Series: In The Darkness [16]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, ノラガミ | Noragami
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2019-01-04 02:51:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12160047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yatorihell/pseuds/Yatorihell
Summary: Hiyori starts her Quidditch lessons hoping that this year she won't destroy any more broomsticks.Based on this lovely art by JoKay (http://eerna.tumblr.com/post/163413575732/my-plan-is-to-make-so-much-fluff-for-yatorihells)Thank you Ink (dr-gothtastic.tumblr) for beta-ing me <3





	The Rules of Quidditch

**Author's Note:**

> A spider crawled on my stomach when I started writing the second paragraph it’s a miracle my laptop is still in one piece.

Classes started the following Monday with students groaning and rolling over as their alarm clocks signalled the beginning of the new school year. Hiyori was up and dressed before any of her dorm mates, wearing the black robes she’d missed with the red and gold of her tie peeking out when she jogged down the stairs of Gryffindor Tower.

The staircase was quiet due to how early it was, and the Great Hall even quieter despite the lavish breakfast spread that was already waiting. Just like always the plates were stacked with traditional English breakfast: toast, bacon, sausages, scrambled and fried eggs, beans, mushrooms, hash browns, tomatoes. Other breakfast foods were dotted in between such as pancakes, chocolate spread and golden syrup, as well as all kinds of juices, tea and coffee.

Yukine was already seated, bleary-eyed, at the Hufflepuff table opposite Yato, who had no doubt invited himself to breakfast with Yukine considering the lack of company he had.

Hiyori trotted up to them, plunking herself down next to Yukine with a ‘good morning’ as she grabbed the lukewarm toast and pitcher of orange juice simultaneously. Yukine yawned his greeting whilst Yato murmured, head half dug into his bag which let out a loud snap and made him quickly jump back and clamp it shut by leaning on his elbows.

Although she tried not to think about it, Hiyori cast worried glances at the suspicious growling from Yato’s bag which wriggled more when he tried to hug it tighter to his chest. Yukine didn’t pay it any attention at all as he stabbed another sausage from his plate in silence.

“Please tell me you haven’t taken something from Kiun’s office already,” Hiyori said, her brow creasing more when the bag suddenly lurched upwards with a snarl towards Yato’s face as he pushed it down with a huff.

“Kiun doesn’t keep animals in his office,” Yato replied, “this is a book.”

Yukine didn’t seemed fazed when Yato quickly shoved the book underneath himself and firmly planted himself on top of it until the growling had ceased. Hiyori looked even more doubtful.

“Honest!” Yato exclaimed, “It’s the Monster Book of Monsters, for Care of Magical Creatures.”

Hiyori’s eyebrows rose fractionally. It sounded much better than her classes. “Why don’t we have that class?”

“We get to choose some classes when we’re in third year,” Yukine answered around a mouthful of food before turning to Yato. “What else are you doing?”

“Muggle studies.” After a stunned pause from the pair he added, “I was hoping you two would help me.”

Yukine snorted and Hiyori gave a laugh, but Yato looked somewhat hopeful. Disgruntled with the prospect of being Yato’s tutor, Yukine asked him if he was being serious.

“Who better to help me than two muggles?”

“Half-blood.” Yukine corrected.

“Muggleborn.” Hiyori chipped in.

“But you know more than me,” Yato whined, “what the hell is a ‘TV’?”

Hiyori bit back a smile. It could be fun, having Yato be the clueless one and watch his reactions to the most mundane things that she grew up with. She looked at Yukine who face was crushed in defeat by her suggestive shrug. He mumbled a ‘fine’, hoping that Hiyori would take the brunt of the teaching rather than him.

“Ok,” Hiyori decided with a firm nod, turning back to Yato only to see he was focused on something else now. Before Hiyori could ask what was wrong Takemikazuchi swept past their spot on the near-empty Hufflepuff table. Yato craned his neck to whilst Hiyori followed his gaze with a sigh.

“You’re not still worried about the stone, are you?” Hiyori asked gently. As she had pointed out before, nothing had happened last year concerning the Philosophers Stone, and the Chamber of Secrets was little more than a myth.

Yato grunted, clearly not paying attention. His eyes narrowed a bit when he turned back around, listlessly pushing a fragment of toast onto his plate and dousing it in golden syrup with a concentrated stare.

“You should be concentrating on your classes,” Hiyori said lightly, then – in an attempt to lighten the mood – added, “you might learn something if you actually went to class.”

“Speaking of learning,” Yato said suddenly as if trying to change the subject, “Quidditch training.”

Hiyori tilted her head slightly, trying to work out what he meant.

Yato rolled his eyes. “You want to join the team don’t you?”

Hiyori’s eyes widen when she finally caught onto what he was saying, straightening up in interest. “You’re going to teach me?”

“Yukine already knows how to fly so he could get on the team, but you…” Yato trailed off, holding his tongue for once as not to offend Hiyori the way he did the first time she flew – even if he were right in doing so. Maybe a change of tact would be better. “Don’t you want to learn?”

“Yes, but -!” Hiyori starts but loses her words. Yato doesn’t notice as he shuffles off his bookbag and quickly clamps his arms around it when he stands up. Hiyori swears she saw it try to scuttle away on the bench.

“You’ve got a new broom like mine, so there’s no impending risk that you wouldn’t feel obliged not to try and kill me again.” Yato said matter-of-factly.

Hiyori grumbled under her breath. _Was he always going to bring that up? Still, she couldn’t turn down a personal training lesson with Slytherin’s ‘Superstar Seeker’._

“When?” she asks after a little pause.

Yato scrunched his nose in thought. “Try-outs start in the third week of September, so we need to do it soon. Wednesday evening?”

Hiyori nodded. The free hours they had after dinner and the late summer sunshine would be perfect for practice – if she could stay in the air long enough without destroying her broomstick.

“Good,” Yato said, “I’ll see you then.”

 

~

 

After school on Wednesday Hiyori headed off to her first – and probably last – flying lesson of the year with her Nimbus 2000 in hand. _It’s been about a year since I flew,_ Hiyori recalled the first time she mounted a broom and the consequences of it, which included becoming friends with Yato and then Yukine. Still, it wasn’t a bad thing.

Yato had casually mentioned meeting at the training grounds when they bumped into each other again in the hallway between classes, sending Yama reeling in awe over his ‘brazen request for a date’.

Hiyori jogged across the grass when she saw Yato already waiting for her, clad in his Quidditch outfit with a good sized oak chest and a broomstick at his feet.

 _I should’ve worn my equipment,_ Hiyori thought. Her black pleated skirt and jumper were hardly suitable for Quidditch training if they actual did cover flying in this lesson.

“Ready?” he asked as she approached. Hiyori, huffing for breath, dropped her broom on the ground. At her nod Yato broke straight into his lecture.

“We’ll do the basics first,” he said, crouching down as he spoke to fiddle with the lock on the trunk, “how many players are on a team?”

“There’s seven players on each team: 3 Chasers, 2 Beaters, 1 Keeper and a Seeker.” Hiyori recited with approving nods from Yato as he flipped open the lid of the case.

Inside Hiyori could see what she recognised as the balls that were used in the game. Still kneeling, Yato picked up the largest ball from the centre of the case.

“You understand the rules, right?” he asked, throwing the largest of the three balls in the air before catching it again as he stood upright. Hiyori snorted. She practically mastered the sport – in theory.

Yato threw the ball to her, as if to test her reflexes, which she caught easily. “What’s this one called?”

“The Quaffle,” Hiyori easily answered, spinning the ball in her hands before throwing it back, “the Chasers have to get it into one of the three hoops to get ten points, but the Keepers have to stop them.”

Yato nodded his approval, taking the Quaffle and knelt down once more.

“You know what a Bludger is?” Yato asked cordially, face turned away from Hiyori as she looked around him. This time she could see him fiddling with the straps restraining one of the two Bludgers.

Before she could ask why he was letting it out, as they both knew what would happen if it got free, Yato threw himself backwards the moment the Bludger erupted from the case. Throwing Hiyori one of the bats, Yato jogged away.

“Yato!” Hiyori protested in frozen horror, not sure whether to chase after him or stay and hope she didn’t get pummelled.

“Hit it!” Yato shouted.

Hiyori gripped the short bat and turned back to the ball as it came directly back to her at an alarming pace. With a clean swing, Hiyori swung the bat so it met the Bludger with a loud crack and sailed away across the grounds.

Its trajectory soon changed and began heading back to Hiyori, but Yato came back in front of her and managed to wrestle it to the ground and unceremoniously wriggle across the ground to secure it in the trunk.

“You’d make a good beater,” Yato said, pushing himself back up with something hidden behind his back.

“I want to be a Chaser not a Beater,” Hiyori huffed, but was pleased at the compliment, “what are you hiding?”

Smiling, Yato brought his hand in front of him. Held between his forefinger and thumb was a walnut-sized golden orb which glinted slightly.

“The Golden Snitch. This is the only thing a Seeker wants.” As he spoke the ball unfurled its delicate, feather-like wings, barely brushing against Yato’s fingers as it seemed to shiver with a need to fly, escape, and above all, avoid capture.

Hiyori gently reached out and plucked the orb from Yato’s fingers. It was surprisingly heavy for having such small wings, and felt more alive than she would expect.

“It’s worth one hundred and fifty points, and catching it is the only way to end the game.” Yato said.

Hiyori hummed, admiring the Snitch for a second longer before giving it back. Yato shoved it into his pocket rather than putting it back in its box, and called his own Nimbus 2000 into his outstretched hand.

“Ready for murder attempt number two?” Yato teased with a grin. Hiyori huffed but smiled. This would be something he would always joke about.

Hiyori picked up her own broom. “So, how do you fly without destroying everything in your path?”

“Y’know, you just, fly straight.” Yato said with a shrug.

“I _don’t_ know,” Hiyori scowled back. If this was how he taught, then there was no hope. She’d sooner be pitching herself through the hoop rather than the Quaffle if she didn’t learn how to fly straight.

Yato sighed and mounted his broom, frowning as he thought through the process of flying.

“You just… kick your feet into the ground,” he demonstrated the move and Hiyori watched closely at his heels, seeing the harsh kick lift him off of the ground so he was hovering.

Yato nodded when Hiyori hesitantly mounted the broom and glanced at him. _Kick, hover, tilt_ down, Hiyori repeated in her head as she took a steadying breath and gripped the broom tightly, kicking up with all her strength until she was wobbling a few inches above the ground.

“Good,” Yato encouraged her. Although her posture was stiff as a board – knees locked together and knuckles white with the force she used to hold onto the broom – she hadn’t fallen off, or killed anyone. Yet.

“Now what?” Hiyori asked tightly, hardly daring to move.

“Feet in the stirrups, then lean forward,” Yato slightly leaned forward and the broom glided forward slowly. He tilted to the side so that he began circling around Hiyori in a wide berth. “Come on!”

Planting her feet in the stirrups and putting the smallest amount of weight she could on the length of the broom, very slowly and very lightly Hiyori leant forward.

The broom noticed the small change and began inching forwards. Hiyori’s grip didn’t loosen, intent on keeping the pace until Yato came up beside her and suddenly pushed her lower, making the broom speed up. Hiyori squealed and squeezed her eyes shut when she felt the broom start to veer, but it wasn’t the same as last time.

When Hiyori realised that she wasn’t going anywhere, she opened her eyes and saw Yato’s gloved hand wrapped around the tip of her broom, towing her around in a circle behind him. He glanced back at her then, seeing that she had got comfortable, upped the speed.

Hiyori squeaked again, but quickly readjusted to the pace. As long as she didn’t go up, she would be fine.

“Right, we’re going up!”

As soon as Yato exclaimed that – and before Hiyori could say no – Yato drove his broom up at a sharp slant into the air, his hand still wrapped around Hiyori’s broom and towing her higher and higher as she shouted for him to go back down.

Once they were a few stories above the ground Yato released Hiyori who clung to her broom like a cat on a wire.

“Yato, I swear to _god_ if you don’t take me down _RIGHT NOW_ I’m –,” Hiyori started ranting through gritted teeth, angrier at the fact that Yato was laughing and circling her than the fact he’d brought her up so high.

Her hand snatched out to collar his green cloak as he passed by, but she misjudged her balance as the broom reared back and tilted with her weight. Her hand fell through the air where Yato managed to escape, and the single grip she kept on the broom was not enough to save herself. She let out a short yell as she felt herself tipping backwards and to the side, nothing but open air between her and the ground far below.

A heavy, sudden shove from behind pushed her upright and back onto the broom, feet slipping against the stirrups when she hugged the broom like she had before with a rushed sigh of relief.

“I hope you know a levitation spell if you’re planning on flying without your broom.” Hiyori could hear Yato’s voice from behind her but she didn’t need to turn around as he came up beside her, a relaxed smile on his face.

“It’s not funny,” Hiyori huffed. She had no chance of getting on the team.

“You just need practice,” Yato said lightly. He let his legs swing freely, watching Hiyori push herself upright and tentatively let her feet fall from the stirrups to mimic Yato’s position and look up at the sky.

She hadn’t noticed what a nice day it was; the sky was a pastel blue fading into grey clouds which were lit up with golden linings from the evening sunshine. It was much cooler than it had been in the day, making her shiver through her thin black jumper.

“Cold?” Yato asked. Hiyori hummed a ‘yes’, and Yato suggested they call it a day. He gently pushed the tip of Hiyori’s broom down at the same time he tilted his, guiding her back down before letting go once Hiyori was confident enough to go alone when they were close enough to the ground.

With a gentle tilt Yato touched back down and stepped aside with his broom, gesturing with his hand for Hiyori to land. Hiyori chewed her lip, remembering that the first time she tried landing she’d tilted _up_ , then managed to crash into Yato at breakneck speed. Very carefully and painstakingly, Hiyori tilted down, toes of her shoes brushing against the grass until the broom was low enough for her to stand.

Hiyori grinned proudly, standing her broom upright beside her as she waited for Yato who busied himself with the Quidditch trunk, tucking the Golden Snitch into its groove next to the other balls. Clicking the latches closed and tucking the case under his arm, Yato stood up with his broom clutched in his other hand.

Hiyori fell into step with him as they walk back to the castle, discussing more training sessions which would mainly be over the upcoming weekend and every day after school until the try-outs.

From one of the many windows of the school which reflected the glare of the burnt gold sunset, dark eyes watched the pair cross the grounds, shoulders brushing and deep in conversation.

Father won’t like this.

 

~

 

As promised, Yato taught Hiyori how to fly. Fair weather in the evenings for the next two weeks allowed them to practice until Hiyori could fly a broom with little worry when trying to catch and throw the Quaffle through the hoops. She had a good aim, but she had no opposition except Yato, which wouldn’t help her against a proper team.

Yukine begrudgingly joined in, secretly enjoying the practice and getting to thrash Yato and evade him with his small size and nimbler moves, showing off to Hiyori as they both teamed up against Yato, beating him almost every time. Of course, they would have no chance if they were competing for the Snitch.

Bishamon wasn’t pleased about the arrangement when she spotted the three of them training; primarily because of Yato being Hiyori’s teacher. She had pleaded with Hiyori to let her train her instead; reasoning that she was more experienced and a more trustworthy future teammate. Hiyori was certain that there was another reason to take her away from that _'complete waste of space’_ , as Bishamon referred to Yato as he cheerfully waved at her from his broom, tantalising out of reach above them as Hiyori gently turned down the offer.

On the third Monday and Tuesday of September, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff try-outs were held. Yato tagged along to watch both auditions, though chose to hide out of sight of Bishamon. He and Yukine finding a safe place to observe well out of her sight from the stands.

Hiyori, although wobbly and clumpy in her movements, scored every goal when up against a would-be Keeper, gaining more and more confidence until Bishamon beamed at her and let her join the team, replacing a seventh year Chaser who had left the previous year.

Like Hiyori, Yukine wanted to be a Chaser. He flipped Yato off when he applauded the decision as _‘an angry 12-year-old with a bat was a terrible idea’_ should Yukine to become a Beater and smack Yato off his broom when he got the chance.

Although Hufflepuff’s Quidditch team was not as impressive as the other houses, they would be nothing to be laughed at with the new players they had. Yukine’s quick and aggressive approach to chasing was quietly disapproved of, yet not enough to ban him from the team when he too was enrolled.

Suzuha, who had given Seeking a chance when he found out that the team was pretty bare after half of the team – including the Seeker – had graduated that summer, was the only person who had tried out for the part, automatically becoming Hufflepuff’s Seeker. No surprise as his new competition would be _‘the Slytherin Superstar’_ Yato, _‘the Lioness’_ Bishamon, and _‘the Eagle’s Eye’_ Kazuma.

Yato slapped Yukine on the back with a whoop when he trudged off the pitch, rain soaked and muddy; dragging an ancient broomstick he’d got from the schools stock.

Hiyori gave him an ecstatic hug, careful not to dirty her clothes but it was still enough to make Yukine flush beet red with pleasure and shyly pat her back a few times before she let him go.

Talk turned to the Quidditch Cup, Yato boasting that they wouldn’t be able to win the Cup from Slytherin even if were him against a whole team.

Hiyori grinned when Yukine scoffed and told him to _‘pull his head out of his arse and stop being so pig-headed’_ , to which Yato shoved him so that Yukine slid from the stone path and into the muddy slope.

Yato took off running when Yukine began swearing and throwing more profanities as he unstuck his boots from the mud, brandishing his broomstick over his head when he started chasing after Yato’s fading laughter, leaving Hiyori to pursue after them to the castle.

This year would be much more fun.

**Author's Note:**

> Ooooooo Hiyori and Yukine are on Quidditch teams now! I wonder what this means for their future? Looks like Hiyori might be able to actually fly properly from now on if she has Yato coaching her.
> 
> I’m going to updating pretty much every week now til November, so stay tuned!


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